


Make Me Perfect (For You)

by redhowler



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Magically Powerful Draco Malfoy, Magically Powerful Harry Potter, Mind Manipulation, No character bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29889459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redhowler/pseuds/redhowler
Summary: Harry heard footsteps, and he was suddenly met with the hungry stare of the Dark Lord. Dark brown, chocolate eyes that came with all the warmth he associated with the delicacy stared into him, deep as if looking straight into his soul, into the very depth of who Harry was."I look at you and I see pure potential," the Dark Lord said to Harry. "And I want to help you shape it, hone it... Control it. This is only a fraction of your capabilities. You could be so much more. Imagine what you could do if someone taught you how."Harry immediately shook his head, much to the Dark Lord's amusement. "Come on, Harry," he coaxed. "Tell me you want it." His eyes held Harry's as if commanding him to stay put, yet he didn't feel afraid.He was trapped and didn't want a way to escape."Please."A satisfied smile curled the Dark Lord's lips.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Sirius Black & Harry Potter
Kudos: 10





	Make Me Perfect (For You)

"Hey, mum..."

Harry gently reached down and pressed the woman's pale hand between his, pressing gently, trembling as if he was afraid it might break. He needed to stay seated at the very edge of the armchair the hospital had given him in order to reach her. Even being this close was dangerous, or so the doctors claimed. Harry couldn't care less. Sirius always said rules were made to be broken.

"I learned a new trick for you."

Green eyes, only a slight shade lighter than his, squinted back at him, weariness dragging the life out of them. Harry stiffened somewhat, hating himself for still feeling the sting from that blankness on her face. It never got any easier coming here. There were many ways he could describe the pain he felt when faced with that empty stare. A sucker punch to the stomach, a bludger to the head, a clawed hand digging past ribs in a messy search for his heart. "I'm sorry, young man, but... do I know you?"

Harry had broken out into tears the first time she asked him that. That was little more than a year ago. He remembered wanting to take her by the shoulders, to shake her as rough as he could; to scream in her face until she _remembered._ "Yeah," he breathed, clutching her palm again. The tears still showed up. He had long since learned how to hold them back. "I'm your son, Harry."

"I have a son?" Lily Potter asked, eyes wide. 

"Yeah," Harry whispered. "You do. Every month I come by here to visit you. It's okay if you don't recognize me, I know you're trying your hardest to get well again... Whenever I visit, I show you a new magic trick I learned. I made the night sky on the ceiling last month."

"There was a green shooting star."

The corners of his mouth lifted in excitement. It was true. Harry hadn't been very good at sky illusions last month and as a result, the stars had been green instead of pale gold and white. Uncle Sirius had laughed himself hoarse when Harry told him that on the way back to Grimmauld Place. "I'm glad _that's_ what you remember from it," Harry said dryly. He was rewarded when Lily chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. There couldn't be a more beautiful sight in the whole wide world.

"Can you do it again?"

Harry pretended to consider it, playfully tapping his chin and trying not to grin. "Hmm... Well, I came here with a plan to make it snow in your room... But I suppose I could do the sky thing again if you really want that."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "How about both?"

Ah. That could be a problem. Harry had never done two spells with so little time in between them, much less sustained two spells at once.

But perhaps he could _attempt_ it. Magic was easier for him now than it had been before. It had taken a lot of hard work and studying with Sirius, who had been more than happy to oblige teaching Harry. A big reason Harry had wanted to learn magic was for this. Making his mother laugh. She never remembered who he was, no matter how often he came by St. Mungo's, so conversations were difficult between each other. But this? Showing her magic? It made it easy for her and served as an efficient icebreaker between the two of them. And there was a small part of Harry that delighted in showing off his talent for his mum.

It had been incredibly difficult to learn, though. One of the major hindrances was him not having a wand yet. Magical children weren't allowed to have one of their own until they were strictly required to, or the year they started at Hogwarts. Harry, as a nine-year-old, wasn't allowed one just yet. So he'd had to learn from Sirius and the books in the Black Family library. Those had been his only tools, along with his hands and a plethora of obscure words. Over time, it got simpler. He didn't have pounding headaches or waves of nausea like he had the first few weeks of learning magic.

"Both," Harry echoed, pondering her request. He didn't know if he could do it. He and Sirius had been keeping it simple this month since Sirius had been kept busy with Death Eater missions. He practiced every day, of course, but he hadn't _pushed_ himself lately. On the other hand, this was the first time his mum had asked something of him. It would be cruel not to at least _try._ "I'll do my best."

"Really?" He guessed his mother hadn't expected him to accept. "Do you need to leave to get your wand? I've seen the nurses use them."

Harry grinned. She had never commented on his use of wandless magic before. Maybe she was slowly improving, despite all evidence to the contrary. “No, that’s alright.” Her eyes widened. “Close your eyes,” he laughed. She pouted slightly but promptly slid them shut. 

Or she tried to. A gut feeling told Harry that he should wait for a moment before attempting the magic, and so he did. Sure enough, he spotted her lifting her lids by a fraction. She must have thought he wouldn’t notice. He laughed, shaking his head. “No peeking,” he teased. He got the feeling she was rolling her eyes playfully before she obeyed and kept them closed. 

Harry kept her hand in between his and concentrated, casting his mind out, coaxing the familiar warm rush of his magic. It responded immediately, something that had been happening more often recently. It flooded his veins, replacing the blood already coursing through, and he could feel his body humming with it. The sheer radiance sang to him and he eagerly reached out, drawing on that magnificent power that belonged to him. 

_ Nixus, _ he thought.  The word rang clear through the depths of his mind, brought to life with every fiber of his being. His fingertips tingled. A moment later, the sensation of something cool coming in contact with his nose startled him. In his peripheral vision, he could spot the tiny snowflakes that were forming in the air. 

He dug deeper inside himself and felt for the golden thread connecting his core to his magic. He focused on it, allowing it to materialize as he fueled it, causing more of the small cold particles to come into being. He visualized that strand between him and the spell in play tying itself off. He allowed his mind to relax. The snow remained. 

He breathed out, giddy with his success. That just left the sky. _Nox Caeolo Videre._

It had taken eight tries to get it right that first day with Sirius. After that, he had practiced the spell another thirteen times. His mum deserved nothing less than perfection from him, so his performance had to be impeccable. The green stars last time had been a massive failure, one he wouldn’t repeat. 

The room dimmed, the lights flickering out. Shadows grew on the panes of Lily’s face. Lights danced across her cheeks, smoothing the surface, and then moved to dapple against the walls of the room. The stars were a twinkling white above them, shining with an intensity Harry couldn’t believe he’d fabricated. 

“Okay,” he breathed. “You can open them now.”

Lily’s eyes opened. A hand came to cover her mouth in amazement. Harry chuckled and leaned back in his chair, releasing her hand from his grasp. He let her become entranced in the display he had put on for her. A small headache was growing, but he paid it no mind. The look on his mom’s face was worth it. He would have done a dozen more spells in that room if it meant pleasing her like this. 

"Oh, Harry..." Lily murmured, shaking her head in disbelief and wonder. "Harry, it's _beautiful."_

His eyes stung at the sound of his name falling from her lips. Thankfully, she wasn’t paying attention to him, transfixed on the sky as she was. He hurriedly reached up a sleeve to wipe away at his face. A minute passed before she turned to face his direction. She had complete awe written into her expression. His vision blurred again.

“You’re amazing…” Tears trickled down his cheeks again. He moved to wipe them away, but she caught his wrist. Gently. She gave him a smile that stole all the breath from his lungs. “This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen - Hey…”

She reached up with her thumb and wiped away a stray tear. He froze, trying to stay that way, but a moment later he gave up and he leaned into her touch. Lily slid her hand down to cup his cheek. He nestled his face into her palm. 

“I know I don’t remember,” Lily grimaced, “and I’m so sorry for that. But I am so proud of you right now. You’re such a beautiful, beautiful boy… I-I hope that’s worth something to you…”

Harry choked back a sob. He hadn't heard that before. "It's worth _everything_ to me. I love you so much, mum..."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

That nearly stopped his heart. She had never said that before either. More tears welled up in his eyes, and this time a ragged cry forced its way out. Lily’s eyes were impossibly adoring as her finger gently stroked his cheek. 

The door opened and a shred of light split the illusion hovering above them open. Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw that the nurse had returned. Her eyes widened as she took in the magic he had put on display. She dropped the bag she was holding with a squeak. It fell to the ground with a loud clatter. 

“Sorry, Ms. Holly,” he said with a wince. “I know I should’ve waited for you to let me in, but my uncle is coming to pick me up soon and I wanted to get as much time in as possible.”

Holly was his mother’s nurse. She had light chestnut brown hair that curled around her shoulders and chocolate eyes. To Harry, she was like the human embodiment of kindness and warmth. She was only second to his mom. She and Harry had grown close. It wasn’t a surprise, considering how often he came by St. Mungo’s. 

“Not to worry, Harry,” she assured him, stooping down to pick up her bag. After checking inside to make sure nothing was broken, she offered him a smile. “Just gave me a scare with… Did you do all this?” 

Harry blushed. No one besides himself and Sirius knew about the magic tricks he did. He technically wasn’t even  _ supposed  _ to do magic at his age. He prayed Holly wouldn’t tell on him. He nodded. 

“You did this?” Holly exclaimed. “This is quite unexpected… Merlin’s beard, you’re nine years old! You’re not even old enough to get your wand-”

This wasn’t going the way he’d hoped for. He cringed back and was about to beg her not to tell on him before Lily interrupted. “It’s magnificent, isn’t it?” she mused. “I’m very proud of him.”

Harry didn’t think it was possible for his cheeks to grow any redder. Holly swung around to stare at Lily. He could imagine the wheels turning in her head as she thought it over. Yes, it was illegal, but Lily seemed to like it. And Holly cared for Lily a lot. She wouldn’t want to take this wonder away from her. 

“Magnificent,” Holly agreed. “I’ll be outside, then. Sirius here is already here, Harry.”

“I’ll be outside in a minute,” Harry called over his shoulder. Holly nodded and left the room, leaving the door ajar. “Merry Christmas, mum.”

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“I’ll be back next month.”

As Harry closed the door to her room, he couldn’t help sliding against the wall and sinking to his knees. A smile had made its way to his lips and he couldn’t force it away for the life of him. That visit… There had been good ones, times when he had thought it couldn’t get any better, but this one… It had been perfect. 

Holly had returned. Her hand rested on the door handle. She looked back at the raven-haired boy who was grinning to himself like an idiot. “That good, huh?”

Harry beamed up at her. “She said she loved me,” he breathed, still not quite believing it. It was the best Christmas present he could’ve asked for. Even if she wouldn’t remember that she had ever said that when he visited her in January. Even if she wouldn’t remember that he had performed magic for her. He could hold on to these small moments. They were all he had. 

“You're a powerful little wizard, Harry, you know that?” Holly said. “Many fully-grown wizards would be envious of your talent. I’m glad your mum could see it. I foresee great things in your future.”

“I thought you were a nurse, not a Seer,” Harry teased. 

Holly rolled her eyes. “Merry Christmas, Harry.” And then she went inside. 

“Merry Christmas,” Harry said to the closing door. 

Around ten minutes after she disappeared, Sirius came into view. Harry was lost in thought when he felt the gentle tap on his shoulder. Sirius's expression bore a weariness he always got after visiting Harry’s father. “Come on, pup, up you get.” He slid his arms under Harry’s shoulders and lifted him up, pulling him into a tight hug. Harry nestled himself into Sirius’s chest, smiling contentedly in his embrace. 

“How was dad?”

“Still in that blasted coma,” Sirius sighed. Harry could vividly picture the way his godfather was grimacing above him. James had been unconscious for eight long years; it was unlikely that he would ever wake up. It was harder on Sirius than it was on Harry. Sirius had actually known James personally, had been best friends with the man for  _ years _ . Harry felt sorry for him. “Your mum?” 

“I did the trick you taught me.”

Sirius laughed, and Harry could feel the rumbles of it. “The snowflake one? She must have loved that. Winter was always her favorite season if I remember correctly... She was a mean snowball-thrower, your mum. Quicker than your dad, even with all his seeker reflexes. James and I never stood a chance against her.” Harry smiled. 

“Any plans for dinner so far?”

“Molly invited us over,” Sirius said. He kept his voice light, nonchalant, but Harry could tell he didn’t want to go to the Weasleys’ either. “It’ll be a pleasant break from the rough year we’ve had. Get away from the screeching of my lovely mother’s portrait for at least a few hours. I believe we deserve at least one day without hearing her shout about filthy half-breeds.” He shook his head in blatant disapproval. “Kreacher will probably be happy to have the house all to himself, too.”

Harry looked away, grimacing. Not that he held any dislike towards the family of redheads. Ron was a great friend and his twin brothers were good fun, but spending Christmas at the Burrow always took a toll on him and Sirius. Seeing an entire family that happy and  _ whole _ … It just ripped something in Harry to shreds. He couldn’t look at Molly without seeing blank green eyes, nor Arthur without seeing his father’s unmoving face. He’d much rather spend the holidays alone with Sirius. 

“I don’t want to go, either,” Sirius admitted. “But Molly insisted, and you know how she gets. Besides, her treacle tarts are to die for. You told me so yourself last time.” That much was true. “It’s just one night.” 

“Could we just… stay home this year?” Harry didn’t mean for his voice to sound so whiny and pleading, but it came out that way. He hurriedly tore his gaze from Sirius, his cheeks burning. 

He heard Sirius sigh heavily. It wasn’t a sound of exasperation, otherwise it would have been a shout or a curse, as Harry learned. It was more… considering. “Tell you what,” Sirius offered. “We’ll leave early this time. I  _ know  _ I always say that and then get carried away with talking-”

"And you talk a _lot,"_ Harry agreed.

Sirius scoffed.  “You don’t have to say it like it’s a bad thing,” he complained. “But we’ll get there at 7:00 and stay there until 10:30. How does that sound?” Harry grinned and nodded his approval. That didn’t sound too bad. The only doubt he had now was whether Sirius would keep his word. “Then we can go watch a movie. I think Kreacher likes that one with the Grinch. They do have similar personalities.”

Harry snorted. “You promise me you won’t crack open a bottle of Ogden’s Old with Mr. Weasley, I know it’s good, but please refrain, and I’ll be satisfied. I can’t have you too drunk to apparate, now can I? Now that we’re planning not to stay the night there for once.”

Sirius squawked in surprise. “You’re not supposed to know which  _ whiskey  _ I like,” he complained. “You’re a  _ kid. _ I’ve been a terrible influence, haven’t I?”

“Yes,” Harry agreed immediately. Sirius huffed a laugh and swung an arm over Harry’s shoulder, ruffling his hair with the other hand. Harry made a feeble noise of protest and tried to tackle his godfather, but he was too small to succeed. 

“Maybe I’ll teach you to play Quidditch properly this year,” Sirius said thoughtfully. “You’re already good at spotting the Snitch, you take after your father like that. And maybe we’ll look at another spellbook, too. I’m sure you’ll breeze through it, skilled as you are.”

Harry’s smile faded. Thankfully, Sirius didn’t take notice of the change in his mood. He started rambling on about the different broomstick brands, from Cleansweeps to the newly-released Nimbus model. Harry kept quiet, trying not to let on how Sirius’s intended praise had affected him. Because if he truly was a powerful wizard like Sirius and Holly said, wouldn’t he have been able to cure his parents by now? 

*

Harry had been seven years old when Sirius told him the whole story. 

It had all started with Sybil Trelawney and her stupid prophecy. The prophecy that had the population of the wizarding world chasing their own backsides. Harry knew every line, word for word, backwards and forwards. He could recite the whole damn thing in his sleep. How could he not, when those were the words that had sealed his parents’ fate eight years ago? 

Sirius had seated Harry in his office, his sleeves pulled all the way down. That had been unusual in itself; his godfather usually adored the rugged look rolled-up sleeves gave him. Later on in their talk, Harry realized why Sirius had done so. Sirius had been trying to hide the Dark Mark imprinted on his forearm. As if putting a layer between it and himself would shield him from the Dark Lord. 

“Two boys,” Sirius told him that night, his face grave. “That’s what the Dark Lord concluded. Both born at the end of July. Either of them could have been the one to fulfill Trelawney’s prophecy, so the two boys needed to be taken care of. The Dark Lord went after the Longbottoms. I have my own speculations on why he went after them.

“He’s a Half-Blood. Don’t mention that to anyone, by the way. I only know because I weaseled it out of Bellatrix. Without her realizing, that is. Understand, Harry, that one of wizarding society’s sore spots is blood supremacy. A pureblood beating the Dark Lord would have been embarrassing, especially for him, in front of his supremacist followers. It’s a matter of his overblown pride. So, in his eyes, that threat needed to be neutralized.”

“So he killed all of them?” Harry frowned. The story of the Longbottoms was legendary. He had even caught some other kids reenacting it. If that wasn’t messed up, he didn’t know what was. “Sounds extreme, even for him.”

“That’s our Dark Lord. Melodramatic son of a bitch.” Sirius’s face went white when he blurted that out, first from the casual use of a swear word in front of Harry, then at the rest of what he said. He glanced at his forearm, biting his lip worriedly. But there was no burning sensation as punishment for his words. “The other boy… it was you, Harry. The Dark Lord sent Bellatrix Lestrange and six others after you all. She was always off her rocker, even as a child, raving mad lunatic if you ask me, and she took her task too far. She broke into your parents’ house and… Harry, have you ever heard anyone mention the Cruciatus Curse?”

Harry had not. And so he had endured Sirius’s lengthy explanation of Unforgivable Curses and learned what each one did. The Killing Curse. That was the one that had killed the Longbottoms. The Imperius Curse. And then, finally, the Cruciatus. The  _ torture  _ curse. Harry felt sick to his stomach by the time Sirius finished. He felt even worse when Sirius told him what Bellatrix had done. Bellatrix had held his parents under the curse for an extended period, on and off again at the mad lady’s whim. The damage had been so severe that James and Lily ended up in St. Mungo’s. They’d been in comas and no one knew if they would ever wake up. It had been a surprise when Lily woke up from hers two years ago. 

The only reason Harry himself remained alive was because of Sirius, or else the Dark Lord would have allowed Bellatrix to have a go at him. Eight years ago, James Potter had sent a Patronus out to his best friend when he heard Bellatrix was coming for them. Sirius had made it in time to fend Bellatrix off before she killed Harry’s parents, but not enough to save them completely. 

Sirius had been the one to rescue Harry from the scene. And he had been the one to give him a roof over his head and warm meals every day since. _A home._

The day the Potters and the Longbottoms had fallen marked the beginning of the Dark Lord’s reign. The Dark Lord had been satisfied with the murder of Neville Longbottom and had struck a deal with Sirius for the other boy’s survival. Sirius had beaten Bellatrix, but the other six Death Eaters had taken him hostage, bringing him before the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord had forced Sirius to swear allegiance and become a Death Eater in exchange for the Potters’ lives.

“I’m a merciful Lord,” Sirius mocked. His face soured at the memory. Harry wasn’t able to suppress his giggles, and that had been the end of that discussion. 

They both had gone through the day as if the talk had never happened. But once they had bidden each other good night and Harry was safely behind the closed door to his bedroom, he had broken down and started crying. He had a feeling Sirius had done the same that night. That Sirius, much like Harry, had drowned in his grief for James and Lily. That, and the pure hatred he felt for Bellatrix Lestrange for all that she had destroyed in a single night. 

Unfortunately, there was no way for them to act on it. The Dark Lord’s trust in Sirius was fragile and, as a result, he put him through spontaneous “check-ups” during the year. The inspector was none other than the gaunt-faced lady herself. The Dark Lord’s right hand. Harry saw her more like the Dark Lord’s barely-trained attack dog. 

“She’s coming soon?” Harry exclaimed as he and Sirius dressed themselves in their cloaks. They had been exhausted when they returned from the hospital, mentally more so than physically. So far they had been lounging about the house, procrastinating their inevitable journey to the Burrow. 

“Unfortunately,” Sirius grumbled into the glass of water he had snagged from the kitchen. He drained it in one go and sat at the kitchen table. Harry seated himself too and looked at the glass, murmuring the incantation Sirius had taught him last year. _Aguamenti._ Water rose to the rim from thin air. Sirius sent him a curious glance before sipping it. "Attaboy, pup. You're getting good at that."

“I learned from the best.”

“Well,  _ obviously," _ Sirius scoffed. “Bella dear is doing one of her bloody house inspections. Make sure we’re not hiding any objects we shouldn’t have, something along those lines. I never really listen when she speaks.”

Harry hummed thoughtfully. “So we do what we agreed on, then? Last time she was a right pain in the arse-”  _ Harry, _ Sirius admonished. “She was! Oh, come off it, Sirius, you’ve said worse about her,  _ in front of me, _ too. Anyway, there’s no reason for us to make it easy on her.” 

The plan they had deviously concocted after her last inspection of Grimmauld Place was to trash the house as much as possible the next time around. It would revolt her, considering she lived in the famed spotless halls of the Malfoy family. 

“We should revisit the suggestion I made to rub the floors with butter as well… We could release the snitch and have it buzzing in her ear when she doesn’t notice. It’s not like she’s sharp enough to  _ catch  _ it.”

She probably was, but Harry could dream. 

Sirius shook his head in wonder. His dark eyes were far away for a moment, almost as if he was remembering doing something like this with another person. “Blimey, Harry. I’ll pray for the poor soul who ends up on your bad side when you grow up. Just to be clear, I am in your good graces, right?”

“For now.” Harry shrugged, fighting and failing not to grin. Sirius snorted and started drinking more of his water. After a second, he began slurping it in the most obnoxious way Harry had ever heard. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “That’s bloody disgusting, Sirius, don’t be such a dog.”

“That’s all you got?” Sirius sniffed. “You can’t be serious.”

“No, actually, that’s you.”

Sirius whined and put his head on the surface of the table in a _why do I even try?_ manner. “I swear my parents named me knowing what would come out of it.”

“We could go ask your mum if that's what you want,” Harry offered. 

“Just… I’m going to go take a nice, hot shower, and  _ then  _ we can go.”

“What was the point of putting your coat on then? Stop procrastinating, Sirius.”

“I’m  _ not _ procrastinating! I merely find it necessary to wash away my humiliation from this conversation with you. So, if you think about it, it’s kind of  _ your  _ fault that we’re going to be late.”

_ "Excuse  _ me?"

“Do you mind calling Kreacher down and tell him we’ll be leaving soon? He likes you. Goes to show he has foul taste, doesn’t it?”

Harry scowled. The next time Sirius brought the glass to his lips, he mentally recited the same incantation as before. He watched as the sudden overflow of water spilled past Sirius’s coat and all the way down his shirt, leaving his beloved godfather cold and spluttering profanities Harry really shouldn’t know at his age. 

“Why  _ you _ …” Sirius slowly rose from his seat. He looked annoyed, but Harry could spot the amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Maybe I’ll tidy up your room before Bellatrix gets here. She’ll spend all her time in there since the rest of the house will be a bloody mess.”

“You do that and I’ll have Kreacher follow you with a cooking pan all day and hit you on the head every time you open your mouth,” Harry said, smiling sweetly. “He would be more than happy to do that. That’s something he and I have in common, by the way. Among other things.”

“An insufferable personality,” Sirius suggested. “Dreadful cooking skills. Ratty clothes - honestly, what on Earth  _ happens  _ to all the normal clothes I get you?... Grouchy moods. Bulging eyes.” 

“Are you suggesting that my mum had bulging eyes?” Harry sipped from his glass of orange juice. “You always say I have my mother’s eyes.” He widened his eyes for emphasis. 

Sirius grimaced. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Love you, too,” Harry said easily. “Will Bellatrix be staying for dinner when she comes? Please say no.” Dinners with the woman were unbearable and worse than death other times. 

“Unfortunately. She has a message for us from the Dark Lord. She also said that she wants to talk to you.  _ In private. _ Care to tell me what that’s about?”

Harry frowned, thinking back on his past conversations with Bellatrix. None of them had been about anything important. 

“We’re getting together and making a joint complaint about you to the Dark Lord,” Harry said absently. What Bellatrix would want with  _ him  _ and not Sirius? “We want you to wear a mask in the field from now on. It makes all the other Death Eaters look bad when their victims run away screaming from just the sight of your ugly face. Looks like you did all the work.”

“ _ Harry." _

“I don’t know,” Harry admitted. He met Sirius’s eyes, letting his face show his earnestness and honesty. “She’s mentioned nothing to me, or else you would’ve heard about it.”

Sirius pursed his lips. His eyes raked over Harry’s expression, searching for any hint of a lie. He knew Harry was an excellent liar; after all, it was Sirius who had taught him how. They had to lie every day in front of other people, so the skill had been necessary to learn. Harry knew Sirius disapproved of some of the Dark Lord’s methods immensely, but to everyone else, Harry had to claim Sirius was unwaveringly loyal. The Dark Lord had forced Sirius to take the Dark Mark, but Harry had to tell everyone that he’d taken it willingly. 

“Alright, pup,” Sirius said, convinced. 

It only took another hour for Sirius to finally be ready to apparate to the Burrow.


End file.
